Unseen passage or reading comprehension passage is an important element of class 8 English syllabus. We have atleast 1-2 questions in every English exam with unseen passage for class 8. This covers important aspect of reading and writing portion of English language. As you are reading new comprehension passage for the first time, it tests your skill as a reader, your vocabulary, and your writing skills. And once you are solving questions from the unseen passage, your writing skills are checked thoroughly.
Students need to do rigorous practice of unseen passage for class 8 exams. They need to solve unseen passage having descriptive questions or mcq questions before going to their exams.
In this article, we have shared some practice unseen passage for class 8 exam. Students can attempt these reading comprehension passages and check their preparedness for the exam.
Unseen passage for class 8
Students can find the unseen passage for class 8 for practice. Please read the passage carefully, and solve the questions. You are also advised to keep a timer while solving such reading comprehension questions.
Unseen passage 1 – Source: The Hindu
Numbers can often be hustled to tell many tales; but it is the story that is picked on the basis of the desire to do what is morally right that sets the course for meaningful action. The recent Lancet estimates of COVID-19-associated orphanhood, which put the number at over 19 lakh children orphaned as a result of COVID-19, has raised India’s hackles. The Lancet study generated numbers based on modelling, and therefore only estimates and not actual numbers are available. Globally, it estimated that 52 lakh children had been rendered orphans by the pandemic. The study, in its original period, March 1, 2020 to April 30, 2021 was revised, with updates based on excess mortality and fertility data used to model increases in estimates of COVID-19- associated orphanhood between May 1 and October 31, 2021 for 21 countries. Orphanhood was defined as the death of one or both parents; or the death of one or both custodial grandparents. The authors claimed their findings showed that numbers of children orphaned by COVID-19 had almost doubled in six months compared with the data after the first 14 months of the pandemic. India has objected strongly to the estimate of 19 lakh, terming it as “sophisticated trickery intended to create panic among citizens”. As per data collected by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights and collated on the Bal Swaraj portal, the number of children orphaned during COVID-19 in India was far lower, at 1.53 lakh.
- Question 1: What severe is covid-19 associated orphanhood in India and globally ?
- Question 2: What is definition of orphanhood?
- Question 3: What are orphan numbers, as per Bal Swaraj portal?
Unseen passage 2 – Source: Indian Express
Former Finance Minister P Chidambaram summarised the budget as, “No work, no welfare, only wealth”. Large “wealth creators” are made free to create wealth for themselves — wealth which, supposedly, will trickle down to the masses. Evidence from around the world is that the economic policy paradigm, of first increasing the overall size of the pie by reducing taxes at the top and then “redistributing” the wealth, has not delivered benefits to people. Trickle-down has dried up while gushing up has increased, with policies to make it easy for investors to do their business of making more profits for themselves. Gandhiji had declared that he was not against wealth creators. He lauded wealth creation. However, it must not be at the cost of workers and welfare. Wealth creators must be trustees of the wealth they create, not its exclusive owners. The Indian economy is suffering from a chronic “demand-side” problem that is becoming worse with misguided economic policies. Young people who have been getting educated in larger numbers than before, even learning vocational skills, cannot find jobs. They are dropping out of the job market seeing no hope in it. The CMIE estimates that in UP, the number of persons of working age who have a job has decreased in the last five years from 43 per cent to 33 per cent; in Punjab from 49 per cent to 30 per cent; in Goa from 49 per cent to 32 per cent; and in Uttarakhand from 40 per cent to 30 per cent. If people don’t earn, demand will not increase, and investments in businesses will not be attractive. Moreover, frustrated youth are tinderboxes for social unrest.
- Question 1: What is trickle-down effect of wealth creation?
- Question 2: What is demand side problem of India, as mentioned by author?
- Question 3: How severe is unemployment in different states in India?
Unseen passage 3 – Source: Deccan Herald
I remember a big Murphy radio occupying a place of pride in our drawing room till the mid-70s. That was the time when for all of the news, views and entertainment broadcast, there was one and only one All India Radio (AIR). While we, the children, were interested in film songs, my father would never miss news, especially the morning English bulletin.
Our interests clashed but one program that the entire family enjoyed together was a skit-based program Hawa Mahal aired at night. My personal favourite was Soundtrack, an hour-long program based on a film story. Much to the annoyance of my father, every Sunday, with my ears glued to the radio, I would listen to the film story at a volume so low that no one else could hear.
In the early 70s, pocket-size transistors entered the Indian market and became a craze. We would constantly change the position and direction of the transistor; adjust its frequencies to get clear sound. Those were the days when we would discreetly smuggle pocket-size transistors to the class to have a sneak-peek at the score during the cricket matches. I just can’t forget how a fire-brand friend of mine banged a transistor when India lost a match against Pakistan.
- Question 1: Which radio program is commonly enjoyed by all family member, as per author?
- Question 2: Which radio brand was most popular in mid-70s?
- Question 3: Why was pocket-size transistors so popular in India?
Conclusion
In this article, we have shared practice unseen passage for class 8 exams and tests. Student from other classes or those who are preparing for competitive exams can use these passages for practice too (like reading comprehension for IELTS or CAT). In case you want to match your answers for these unseen passage questions, you can mail your answer to us.
In case you are struggling to solve unseen passage questions, you can check how to solve unseen passage article.
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Check also: Online tuitions for Class 8 English